1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a control panel for a refrigerator having basic and hidden feature menus that are readily accessible by a consumer.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Controls for refrigerators are well known in the art. In general, refrigerators are capable of maintaining fresh food and freezer compartment temperatures within broad temperature ranges. In this manner, consumers can set a desired degree of cooling/freezing based upon personal preferences and/or local conditions. A typical temperature control requires a consumer to slide a lever or rotate a knob or dial to set desired temperatures for the fresh food and freezer compartments. However, while these controls remain on the market, a wide variety of more advanced controls have been developed over time.
While mechanical controls are simple to understand and operate, higher end refrigerators are typically provided with digital control interfaces. Most modern refrigerators are provided with a wide variety of features, such as climate controlled bins and special operating modes that require setting various parameters for the appliance. As such, the complexity of the control interfaces employed in the more modern refrigerators has increased. As a result, many consumers do not properly set compartment temperatures or take advantage of the many available features or options. Therefore, in order to simplify the interface, several manufacturers have embedded or hidden portions of the control functions. That is, certain information is available only after entering a specified code. While effective, this feature has been reserved for hiding service modes allowing access to error and diagnostic codes that are utilized only by service personnel.
Despite the controls present in the prior art, there still exists a need for an enhanced control interface for a refrigerator. More specifically, there is a need for a control interface that can appeal to consumers demanding simplified controls for setting basic functions, as well as those who desire the ability to exercise control over more advanced features.